1. Bullet Journal Stamps: immediately after reading this blog post, I ordered this acrylic stamp set from Amazon, along with a set of ColorBox Cat’s Eye ink pads. I’ve never used stamps like this before and didn’t realize that you really should use them with acrylic stamp mounts, so I also ordered a set of those and they just arrived last night. I cannot wait to have fun with these in my Bullet Journal!*
Happy Friday the 13th, all! May this traditionally unlucky day bring good things your way. 🙂
1. Surprise Snowstorm: no one seemed to have any idea that we were going to get several inches of snow last weekend! My husband and I ventured out for a little walk, and our neighborhood was just gorgeous. The snow is mostly melted now; all that remains is some gross slush.
Happy New Year! I don’t know about you, but I’m thrilled that 2016 has been laid to rest and am ready to get this year rolling. The sooner we can get Trump in AND OUT of office, the better. 🙂
1. Stella & Dot Icon Convertible Watch: I actually ordered this watch more than a month ago but completely failed to post about it. I had been wanting to get a watch for quite some time, and when I saw that Stella & Dot was offering this one at a deeply discounted price—$49 instead of the usual $148—I had to have it. (This watch is currently on sale for $88.80, still good deal.) And I love it! It comes with a gold and a silver bezel for the face plate so you can switch it out depending on your mood. Cute!
For my final Friday Five in a year I think we’re all ready to set afloat and shoot a flaming arrow at, I’m going to retain a bit of positivity and list five of my favorite things from 2016.
1. Our Los Angeles Vacation: we had some lovely times traveling in the LA and Palm Springs area early this year. We stayed in Hermosa Beach, fed lorikeets at the aquarium in Long Beach, enjoyed stunning vistas in Palos Verdes and Abalone Cove Shoreline Park, and had some fun times with friends and family. We also managed some quality relaxation time by the pool in Palm Desert and visited Joshua Tree National Park (the first of three national parks we went to this year!). If I had to pick a favorite part of this trip, I think I’d say Joshua Tree. National parks are a precious thing and it’s always special to visit them.
I’m doing something a little different for my Friday Five this week. Literally all the blogs are filled with “best of” and “top 10” lists of the year, and because I’m such a TV nerd, I’m going to add one more to the fray. There’s only so much TV a girl can watch in this era of Peak TV so I’ve definitely missed out on some great shows, but here’s a list of my five favorite TV shows in 2016. Spoilers ahead….Continue Reading…
My December Birchbox arrived the other day, and the very pretty box is designed to look like a subtly shiny holiday gift:
1. Ninja Coffee Bar Single-Serve System: this was an early Hanukkah gift from my mom. I’d been thinking about getting one of these coffee bar thingies and had looked a little bit at Nespresso machines. Then over Thanksgiving I saw an ad (starring Sofia Vergara…seriously, what won’t she do ads for?) for this gadget and it looked pretty awesome. On Cyber Monday, Target’s website had it on sale, so I alerted my mom and my gift arrived a few days later. And I LOVE IT. I now make my own Pumpkin Spice Lattes, Flat Whites, and Cappuccinos, as well as tasty regular coffee, right in my own kitchen. It’s fairly compact and easy to use, and I really appreciate that it uses a regular basket filter instead of pods.
1. Westworld: I know I’ve included this show in a previous Friday Five, but I was so into it that now that season one has ended I have to mention it again. The show certainly isn’t perfect, but I felt utterly transported every time I watched it and I can’t wait to see what season two has in store for us…in 2018 (AGH! So far away!)
Today is the 15th anniversary of my move to New York City (!!!), so in honor of my anniversary, I’m going to list five things that characterized my early time here in the city.
1. DTUT: when I first moved here, my boyfriend (at the time) and I stayed with his brother on the Upper East Side, at E. 83rd Street and 1st Avenue. It took a few months for me to find a job, so in the meantime I spent A LOT of time hanging out at a nearby coffeeshop, DTUT. Back then the place was located on 2nd Avenue near E. 84th Street (it’s since moved a few blocks north). The place was very cozy and filled with lots of lounge chairs and couches. I’d go in the morning and get either a bagel and cream cheese or a quiche, and of course coffee. Then I’d spend about three hours sitting there reading, writing in my journal, reading the newspaper, and doing crossword puzzles. Mind you, this was in 2001 and 2002 and I didn’t have a smartphone to entertain myself with (though I think I had a laptop then…I honestly can’t even remember). I have such fond memories of all the analog time I spent there.
Happy December! On this first day of the month in which the holiday season really kicks in, I’m excited to announce that I have opened a handmade soy candle shop on Etsy called Zoe Walter Candles! Where did the shop name come from? Well, I pretty much pulled a Brick Tamland “I Love Lamp” by looking around and deciding to use the names of our two cats, Zoe and Walter. 🙂
